Digital Commons Network^™

The Australian Paradox: Politics Of An Energy Transition, Lindsay H. Bushing

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The 1973 oil shock was the first energy crisis modern industrialized economies experienced. The disruption exposed the limitations of energy systems that rely on fossil fuels, creating a demand for experimentation of energy alternatives. In their book, Renewables: The Politics of a Global Energy Transition, Michaël Aklin, and Johannes Urpelainen provide a framework to analyze this transitionary period for selected countries, as well as the events that provoke the need for change in the form of the 1970s external shocks in oil prices. In this paper, for the first time, Aklin & Urpelainen's framework will be applied to Australia …

Sequence-Independent Assay For Hiv Viral Load Quantitation, Omar El Merhebi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Although nucleic acid tests (NATs) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) exhibit many advantages, such as early detection and viral load quantification, over immunological assays, their widespread use is limited by their demand for high-level infrastructure, sophisticated equipment, and advanced staff competence. Furthermore, when quantifying viral loads of patients, it has been reported that these assays can underestimate viral quantities by 22- to 100-fold due to primer-template mismatches in more divergent HIV subtypes. Therefore, we have developed a cost-effective and sequence-independent assay for the detection and quantification of HIV utilizing a modified nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) protocol coupled to an …

Acoustic Detection Of Developmental Dysplasia Of The Hip In Models Representing Neonates, Pinak Raodeo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a condition that involves the dislocation of the head of the femur in the acetabulum of the pelvic bone. Although it may not interfere with a child's range of motion during infancy, DDH can cause various effects over time such as joint pain, abnormal gait, and even paralysis. It is crucial to catch this phenomenon early on so that permanent disability is not introduced to the patient. In this study, an excitation device was used to send a broadband frequency signal through a hip joint simulated by a 3D printed bone apparatus consisting …

Characterization Of A Label-Free Fluorescent Assay For Point Mutation Discrimination Based On Split Aptamer Probes, Shannon A. Beaton

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Due to the misuse of antibiotics, multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria have become more rampant in our society; these MDR have given rise to diseases that are not readily curable. One such agent is the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, which is a causative agent of tuberculosis (TB). Timely diagnostics of the bacterial infection and detection of bacterial drug-susceptibility profiles helps to initiate the necessary treatment in a timely fashion and to limit transmission of the disease. For more affordable detection of bacterial diseases, such as TN, tag-free split aptamer probes are advantageous. This proposal aims at designing split aptamer probes for detection …

An Examination Of A Proposed Rule: Removal Of Sirva From The Vaccine Injury Table, Derrica N. Jackson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Vaccines are one of the greatest modern medical inventions. Even though vaccines have saved lives, however, no medical product is proven to be completely safe. Vaccines can have rare and sometimes deadly reactions. To address such occurrences, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hosts a program that reviews petitions for compensation of injuries caused by vaccination. The program is called the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). The VICP was established in 1986 to reduce the number of product liability lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers that threatened to increase the cost of vaccines and lower life-saving vaccine administration …

Populism's Historical And Contemporary Manifestations, Horacio Pla

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In the following thesis, American populism's many manifestations throughout American history as well as its current forms in contemporary politics will be analyzed mainly through the lens of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, who are two prominent political figures that have managed to amass a considerable degree of support. In Trump's case, his populist rhetoric and authoritarian slant has allowed him to garner enough support to ascend to the position of President of the United States of America, arguably one of the most powerful political positions on planet Earth. Current trends such as dissatisfaction amongst the voting constituencies of Democrats …

Concomitant Guillain-Barre Syndrome With Covid-19, Skylar A. Morongell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The current Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by a virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global health emergency. Recent findings in case studies assert that the transmigration of SARS-CoV-2 to the nervous system implicates severe neurotropic pathologies, including the onset of the rare autoimmune disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). GBS is recognized as several disorders characterized by immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathy, which is typically preceded by an infection or other immune stimulation. The symptoms of GBS initially present as acute symmetrical ascending paresthesia, weakness, and paralysis.

This meta-analysis serves to help understand the predisposing factors (such …

3d Mri Investigations Of The Musculus Uvulae In Children With 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, Riley Cashon

Honors Undergraduate Theses

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q) is the most common genetic cause for velopharyngeal dysfunction. Several velopharyngeal muscles in children with 22q have been shown to be hypoplastic, but no studies to date have examined the musculus uvulae in children with 22q. This study aimed to investigate the presence and characteristics of the musculus uvulae in children with 22q using3D modeling software MRI scans of 13 children (8 with 22q and 5 control participants) were used to measure the musculus uvulae using Amira 6 visualization modeling software. The muscle was segmented by selecting voxels displaying the musculus uvulae on successive oblique coronal …

A Mixed Methods Study On Food Insecurity Screening And Patient-Centered Care: Perspectives Of Patients And Healthcare Providers On Practices And Barriers To Effective Screening In Outpatient Medical Settings, Christina Bernhardt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between elements of patient-centered care and patient/provider comfort with conversing about food insecurity and related social determinants of health. A mixed methods study was conducted. Patients and healthcare providers were surveyed on their experiences with patient-centered care and comfort discussing food insecurity and related social concerns. Telephone interviews were conducted to gain a richer understanding of the concepts under investigation. In the survey and telephone interviews, both samples were also asked about changes in communication during COVID-19 times. Quantitative findings show that patient involvement in care and cultural sensitivity …

Brain Interhemispheric Alterations In Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Using Structural Neuroimaging Features, Cintya Dutta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This dissertation examines brain lateralization and interhemispheric asymmetry patterns found in youths with Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Prior research groups have found mixed findings with respect to left and right hemisphere alterations from ADHD subjects using structural magnetic resonance imaging. In these investigations, we propose the use of Asymmetry Index (AI), a subject-specific metric that quantifies the extent of brain asymmetry and allows each subject to serve as their own control, thus reducing variability when pooling across different sites. We compare AI metric with laterality across volumetric, surface area, thickness, morphology, and white matter measures in order to characterize …

Predicting Employee Performance: A Meta-Analysis And Systematic Review On Data Mining Methods, Turku Erengin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Data mining methods have been used to study a variety of topics in industrial and organizational psychology, including predicting employee performance. With the increased interest in predictive analytics in human resources, the present study aimed to review and explore the application of two commonly used data mining methods, decision trees (DTs) and artificial neural networks (ANNs), for predicting employee performance in organizational settings. Out of 103 studies reviewed, eight studies were retained and used for the meta-analyses. The number of employee performance classifications meta-analyzed was 2430 in total. The results suggested that both data mining methods showed good performance in …

Exploring The Academic Workload Of Second Year Medical Students, Jason Pollock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Excessive academic workload has been cited as a leading cause of medical student stress, depression, and drop out. A study was conducted at a Southeastern Medical School to identify a relationship between institutionally prescribed workload (objective workload) and the students' perceptions (subjective workload). The existing school workload policy and the Rice University Center for Teaching Excellence workload estimator were utilized to calculate time to complete two types of academic artifacts: (1) assigned (required) course materials and (2) recommended (optional) course materials, which we compared at the Module level to identify difference in objective workload. The students' perceptions of workload were …

Comparing Teacher Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic In Venezuela And The United States, Maria Spinetti Rincon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted the entire world. Teachers have been challenged throughout this time to adapt their teaching practices amidst a constantly changing environment. The purpose of this study was to answer the research questions: (1) how did teachers' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic vary between the United States and Venezuela? And (2) what do teachers perceive they need to better support children in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic? This research used an interpretive, case study approach through kindergarten teacher interviews and curricula analysis. Teachers were included in the study if they had taught for more than five …

Secure And Trustworthy Hardware And Machine Learning Systems For Internet Of Things, Shayan Taheri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The advancements on the Internet have enabled connecting more devices into this technology every day. This great connectivity has led to the introduction of the internet of things (IoTs) that is a great bed for engagement of all new technologies for computing devices and systems. Nowadays, the IoT devices and systems have applications in many sensitive areas including military systems. These challenges target hardware and software elements of IoT devices and systems. Integration of hardware and software elements leads to hardware systems and software systems in the IoT platforms, respectively. A recent trend for the hardware systems is making them …

The Impact Of Misspecification Of Within-Person Autocorrelated Covariance Structure On Nonlinear Latent Growth Curve Models: A Monte Carlo Simulation Study, Mingming Zhou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of misspecification (i.e., under-specification, over-specification, and general misspecification) of the within-person level errors in longitudinal data under quadratic, exponential, and logistic latent growth curve models and to make a contribution to the literature in this area. A Monte Carlo simulation in R uncovered a common bias pattern throughout this study. For under-specification of autocorrelated processes and general misspecification of MA as AR, the mean intercept was more likely to be downward- biased, but the linear slope and nonlinear slope for an individual tend to be upward-biased. On average, the variation …

Conceptual Factors In Black And Hispanic Proficient Students' In English Language Arts (Ela), Christina Aldrich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study investigated the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) English Language Arts (ELA) scores of proficient third-grade students and explored trends in achievement or decline on the FSA in fourth grade. Further, this study explored the relationship of school environment to academic outcomes of Black and Hispanic fourth-grade public school students in terms of FSA ELA scores from third to fourth grade. This study used multiple statistical analyses on pre-existing de-identified data to explore learning gains by race/ethnicity. By focusing on and studying only one school district, this study provides conclusive results connecting learning gains and ethnicity in specific instances, but …

Downregulation Of Mir-34a Via Calorie Restriction Regulates Lipid Metabolism In The Liver Of Long-Living Ames Dwarf Mice, Sarah Ashiqueali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Ames dwarf mice (df/df) display delayed aging relative to their normal siblings, living approximately 40-60% longer. As such, investigating the mechanisms that enable these organisms to have superior life expectancies may prove useful in developing therapies to slow aging and deter age-related disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition that is characterized by the accumulation of excess adipose tissue in the liver. Interestingly, its prevalence tends to increase with age with an incidence rate of greater than 40% in individuals over the age of 60. Previous studies highlight the potential of calorie restriction (CR) in promoting longevity, but …

Analysis Of Sign Language Facial Expressions And Deaf Students' Retention Using Machine Learning And Agent-Based Modeling, Marie Alaghband

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

There are currently about 466 million people worldwide who have a hearing disability, and that number is expected to increase to 900 million by 2050. About 15% of adult Americans have hearing disabilities and about every three in 1,000 U.S. children are born with hearing loss in one or both ears. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that unaddressed hearing loss poses an annual global cost of $980 billion, including cost of educational support, loss of productivity, and societal costs. These are all evident that people with hearing loss are experiencing several kinds and levels of difficulties. In this dissertation, …

Influence Of Body Composition, Velocity Profiles, And Sex-Related Differences On Army Combat Fitness Test Performance, David Boffey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) will become the United States Army's mandatory physical fitness test in March of 2022. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between ACFT performance and both body composition and velocity profiles, and to determine sex differences for these variables. Data was collected in November 2020 (Fall) and March 2021 (Spring) from male (n = 55) and female (n = 17) Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. Body composition was assessed with a bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) device, and cadets completed a squat jump (SJ) force-velocity profile (FVP) and a hex …

An Investigation Of Student Mental Health Supports In Florida Public School Districts, Rebecca Carter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the mental health services being provided to students in the state of Florida, specifically the identification of mental health concerns among students, prevention strategies, and interventions utilized. This study consisted of a document analysis of the Mental Health Assistance Allocation Plans submitted to, and posted by, the Florida Department of Education, for the purpose of developing a grounded theory to standardize the recommended practices in serving the mental health needs of students. Standardized recommended practices that emerged from the analysis included (a)universal screening to identify students demonstrating or developing mental health concerns, …

An Exploration Of Campus-Wide Pauses Of Fraternity And Sorority Communities: Utilizing A Four Frame Approach, Corey Esquenazi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In recent years universities have tried to address fraternity and sorority drinking and hazing culture by utilizing pauses on fraternity and sorority activity. This study of this phenomena appears to be absent from the extent literature on prevention strategies. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the phenomena of campus-wide pauses of fraternity and sorority communities. The two cases examined were at large public research institutions with robust fraternity and sorority communities. Analysis occurred through a process of open coding, theoretical propositions, derived from Bolman and Deals organizational frames and cross case analysis. Data was collected through …

An Examination Of Factors Associated With Lgbtq+ College Students' Adoption Of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (Pep) As An Hiv Prevention Method, Shayna Forgetta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is an effective human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention medication taken after exposure, yet it is not widely used in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) community. Understanding its acceptability is vital, given this population's increased risk for contracting HIV. Drawing from the Health Literacy Skills Framework and the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study provides an examination of PEP-related awareness and knowledge, as well as intention to request and use PEP. Using a cross-sectional survey design, a convenience sample of 131 LGBTQ+ college students from a Southeastern university was recruited through email and social media. …

The Relationship Between College Students' Level Of Alcohol Use And Their Grit, Personal Growth Initiatives, And Emotion Regulation Scores Using Structure Equation Modeling, Gelawdiyos Haile

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the directional relationship between college students' level of grit, personal growth initiative, cognitive reappraisal emotion regulation strategy, and their level of harmful alcohol consumption and related problems. This study tested the theoretical structure model that college students' (N = 356) level of grit (as measured by the Grit Short Scale [Grit-S; Duckworth & Quinn, 2009]), personal growth initiative (PGI; as measured by the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II [PGIS-II; Robitschek et al., 2012]), and cognitive reappraisal emotion regulation strategy (as measured by the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire [ERQ; Gross & John, 2003]) contribute to …

Health Literacy, Knowledge, Attitudes, And Opioid Use Behavior Among College Students, Khristen Holmes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Opioid-related deaths have increased rapidly over the last couple of decades due to the overprescribing of prescription opioids and the availability of illicit drugs from family members, friends, or street dealers. To address this crisis, this research will attempt to identify how health literacy levels affect knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Hence, this study is informed by the Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior (KAB) Model. The KAB model is used to determine the influence of knowledge and attitudes on behaviors, which includes prescription drugs, illicit drugs, and fentanyl. This dissertation aims to explore the relationships between health literacy, knowledge, attitude, and behavior for opioids (prescription …

Challenges Of Duality: Conflict And Satisfaction In Maintaining Roles As Students And Employees, Jade Laderwarg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Previous research has overlooked university employees' dual working student role as a potential antecedent to altered job perceptions. Therefore, a causal-comparative, quantitative study was conducted to examine how enrollment affects the job satisfaction, role conflict, and role ambiguity of non-instructional university staff. The researcher tested demographic variables, such as age, gender, racial identity, parental status, marital status, and years of service to determine if they moderated the relationship between enrollment and job perception. Among the 811 full-time university staff members who participated, 197 were enrolled as students and 614 were not enrolled. Participants completed the Measure of Job Satisfaction, the …

Understanding Discourse Of Co-Teachers In Middle School Mathematics Inclusive Classrooms, Amanda Lannan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The researcher in this study investigated the verbal discourse moves of co-teachers in middle school mathematics classrooms to solicit students' mathematical thinking with a specific focus on students with disabilities. In this examination of two classrooms, students received high-level mathematics instruction from expertly trained co-teachers. A quantitative analysis of the video transcripts using a validated tool for coding teacher behaviors was used to examine the content and context of mathematical discourse in each of the classrooms. The researcher examined qualitative data using a critical discourse framework. Three themes emerged from the discourse analysis: (a) empowerment of co-teachers, (b) strategic use …

Male Students Of Color In Stem Through The Lens Of Intersectionality: A Transformative Mixed-Methods Exploration Of Their Science Identities, Relevant Science Learning Experiences, And Decisions To Pursue Science Professions, Regina Mccurdy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this 3-phase transformative mixed-methods study was to use intersectionality theoretical framework to explore the science identities and relevant science learning experiences of male students of color (MSOCs) in STEM and their decisions to pursue science professions after college. Phase 1 utilized a researcher-developed survey to analyze differences in science identity scores (SIS), science relevancy scores (SRS), and decisions to pursue science professions of 702 diverse college students enrolled in STEM-related courses at a state college in Southeast United States. While there were no statistically significant differences in SIS and SRS scores regarding race/ethnicity or socioeconomic factors, statistical …

Highly Sensitive Child Scale For Preschool Age Children: Development, Initial Validation Of A New Instrument, Bethany Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The health of the caregiver-child relationship is imperative for positive long-term mental health outcomes in children and is dependent on caregivers' understanding of their child's behaviors. Misunderstanding a child's behaviors prevents caregivers from responding to their child in a nurturing manner, which creates disconnection in the caregiver-child relationship. Unfortunately, children with sensory processing sensitivity are particularly likely to experience such misunderstanding in their relationships with caregivers. Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a temperament trait manifesting in stronger neurological and emotional responses to stimuli. To increase understanding of children's needs through proper discovery of SPS, the researcher developed the Highly Sensitive …

Using Wearable Assistive Technology To Improve Time Management Of Students With Disabilities In A School-Based Employment Training Setting, Jonathan Solomon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

All areas of life require time management, but those skills are especially integral and require a different level of accountability for an individual to be successful in academia or when employed (DiPipi-Hoy et al., 2009; Macan et al., 1990). A study by Janeslätt et al. (2015) measured daily time management of adults and found individuals with cognitive disabilities possessed low daily time management skills compared to neurotypical peers. In a study by Button et al. (2019) the majority of college students with disabilities at one university who sought out support services spent most of their time working on the area …

A Causal Comparative Examination Of The Effects Of Tiered Interventions Within The Mtss Framework In One Intermediate Grade, Hope Strange

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This post hoc quantitative research used a causal-comparative design to explore the relationship between tiered interventions as part of an MTSS intervention and student achievement. Data from the Florida Standards Assessment for English Language Arts (FSA ELA) and mathematics (FSA Mathematics) from 2018 and 2019 formed the basis of the study; student demographic data also identified each student's highest level of reading, mathematics, and behavior interventions during the 2018-2019 school year. Students who received interventions were coded into a separate higher tier. Percentile change was calculated and analyzed using an ANOVA to determine how percentile change differed by intervention tier. …